Robber's odd weapon - bleach

FAIRBANKS — A Fairbanks man accused of using bleach as a weapon to escape a grocery store with a shopping cart full of stolen meat has been charged with robbery and misdemeanor theft.

Alex Trenton Beltz, 25, remained jailed Friday at Fairbanks Correctional Center. The clerk was not injured, and police recovered the meat.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner , quoting a criminal complaint filed by police, reported that Beltz left a Carrs/Safeway grocery store Tuesday morning and entered the foyer of the Bentley Mall on the city’s east side. He was pushing a shopping cart that contained $235 worth of stolen meat, police said.

Grocery store clerk Ben Nash followed Beltz out the door and confronted him in the foyer. According to police, Beltz sprayed Clorox bleach in Nash’s face.

Nash told police he managed to grab onto the suspect. They both fell, and as Nash wiped bleach from his eyes, Beltz scooped up packages of meat and fled out the mall doors to a vehicle.

Despite the bleach, Nash was able to read the license plate and give police a description of the vehicle. Police went to the home of the registered owner.

less than two miles away. According to police, when officers arrived, Beltz fled out the back door but was caught.

Officers administered a field sobriety test and said Beltz blew a 0.342 percent on the portable breath test device, more than four times the legal limit for driving.